Cut from the Cloth

A few weeks ago we decided to make the switch to cloth diapers. It took about three months of researching and then another month to get my courage up enough to finally do it. Most people are probably going to think we're crazy, as my younger siblings said, "that sounds disgusting". haha! Obviously this was a main concern of mine and Austin's as well. So here is why we decided to go old school.

Earlier Potty-Training
The average age for fully potty training in disposable diapered babies is around 36 months. The average for cloth diapered babies is 18-24 months. This used to be the standard age of potty training when cloth was the norm, it wasn't until the 1980's and 90's that the age for potty training increased so dramatically. So the idea of being able to cut out an entire year of diapering is quite appealing.

Baby's Health
I'll admit that my paranoia about chemicals in our home, food, medicine, etc. is on the extreme end, but I find the chemicals in disposables pretty concerning. Sodium Polyacrylate is the main component that absorbs liquids. That's why a full diaper feels gelatinous, and sometimes you find those gel beads on baby's skin. On the mild end it can cause skin irritation and eczema, on the extreme end it can cause Toxic Shock Syndrome and death. They used to use this chemical in feminine hygiene products until the FDA banned it because of the risk of TSS. Yet it's still used in diapers. And this is against baby's skin 24/7 for 3 years. So many moms avoid medications, certain foods, and even caffeine because it can bother baby during pregnancy or nursing. But we're okay with this constant exposure to a serious chemical?

World Health
They say that the average baby will use about 6,000 diapers by age two. That's not even the entire time they will be in diapers!! And these just sit in landfills, it's not even known if they will ever fully decompose. Plus it's illegal to throw any human waste into the trash. According to the CDC and WHO you technically are supposed to dump poo, even from disposables, into the toilet. But who does that?? There have been reports of feces of vaccinated infants seeping into ground water because of diapers thrown into an improperly sealed off landfill, and the strands from the vaccines causing illnesses like polio, measles, etc. I'm no tree hugger, but it does seem a little bit irresponsible to just shamelessly dump this kind of waste.

Financial Health
Again, 6,000 diapers by age two. When Mason was smaller, we could find great deals on diapers so they were costing about $0.07 a piece. Now the best we can find is $0.18 a piece, and decent ones are at least $0.20. They estimate that it now costs $1,500 to $2,000 to diaper one baby from birth to potty training. In contrast, our initial cloth diaper investment was around $200. For that price we got:
-50 diapers (12 pre-folds, 21 flats, 17 fitteds)
-6 diaper covers
-3 diaper doublers
-6 fleece liners
-15 cloth wipes
-5 Snappi fasteners
-cloth diaper laundry bag
-a HUGE thing of enzyme free detergent
-a HUGE thing of Dr. Bronner's soap for our homemade wipes solution
-tea tree oil to add to the wash

There is also the extra cost of water and power to wash and dry the diapers. We wash every third day, and because we use flats and prefolds rather than all-in-ones, they dry in about 20 minutes. We saw about a $2 increase in our electric bill during the first month of cloth diapering. And we are getting a clothesline for the summer because moms around here say that their diapers dry in about 15 minutes outside when it's warm because the climate is so dry. And...we don't pay for water right now, so I can't speak for that increase in cost. =)
But it's also something to consider that we will use these same diapers for all of our subsequent children. There are options of cloth diapering (all-in-ones, pocket diapers, gDiapers) that are more expensive in the initial investment, but will still save huge amounts of money over time.

The Down and Dirty
And then there's everyone's most adament question..."Don't you have to touch the poop?!" Let me just ask all the moms who have used disposable diapers, have you ever touched poop?? Has anyone managed to get through raising children and NOT touched poop? And puke? And pee? And snot? It's part of raising babies. I have done my fair share of scrubbing poop out of clothes because he had a massive blowout in his disposables. AND they make these awesome diaper sprayers now that attach to your toilet so you don't even have to really touch the poop. AND refer to the section above discussing the fact that technically EVERYONE should be dumping their baby's poo into the toilet.
People also ask me if it's gross because we wash them in the washer that we obviously wash our clothes in as well. When baby's diaper can't contain the poo, or your child has an accident, do you wash the clothes in a separate washer? If the inevitable throw up all over the bed during the night occurs, do you wash the sheets by hand in the tub or sink? Of course not! The washer is made for washing. I frequently clean my washer anyway by stripping with vinegar and baking soda, so we've just continued that practice. And because the majority of the substance has been flushed down the toilet, there's really nothing left by the time you put the diaper in the washer anyway.

All in all, we are so happy that we made this decision. It really just works for us. Austin was obviously hesitant but has become a cloth diapering professional in no time. He can diaper that baby faster than I can now! We also don't take him to daycare or anything, so it really just effects us. And I think Mason is happier. We couldn't find a single diaper that could keep him dry all night--every morning I would get him up and his pajamas would be soaked through. Now he is sleeping dry and peaceful. And our bank account is very, very happy.

And how cute is that little bum in a cloth diaper??